Make your own Jerky, Camping Hacks & Stuff You'll Love

 

 

Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

www.poormansurvivor.net

 

ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

 

Don't live by chance, live by choice.

 

 

Start Your Beef Jerky Addiction

 

I love beef jerky. It's healthy, tasty, portable, and easy to make. I may be addicted to it...No, I most definitely am.

I've been making homemade jerky for years. It all began with my dad, who taught me how to make venison jerky using an old and simple recipe. We made as much as we could, but it never seemed to last very long...hmm?

Our original recipe was solid but, determined to make it even better, I branched out further; adding new flavors and refining the methods further than ever before. These days I pretty much have it down to a science and can whip up a delicious batch in no time.

Eventually my friends found out about my jerky stash. They wanted to try some. Once they tried it they wanted their own bag. I took some to work. My co-workers demanded I supply jerky for all future meetings and business trips. The point is that I've shared my jerky with many people and the vast majority of them have really enjoyed it.  More at:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Start-Your-Beef-Jerky-Addiction-Today/

 

 

19 Camping Hacks That Are Too Genius

 

Camping is a great activity for the whole family, allowing you to escape everyday life and spend quality time together without cell phone reception and the internet…

These 19 camping hacks will help you enjoy the experience that little bit more, from how to start a fire with Dorito’s to making a handy lantern from a bottle of Mountain Dew.

Head across to Diply.com to see all 19 brilliant ideas!

http://diply.com/diy-home/19-camping-hacks-that-are-too-genius/37104/1

 

Stuff You Can Use [and share]

 

 Why I love my cast iron skillets
read more here

 

Pool Party

Last year, my niece graduated from high school. My sister wanted to throw a party, but couldn't spend a lot. She decided to do a garden party. On her picnic table, she put a kid's blow up pool and filled it with ice. Salad ingredients were placed in bowls that floated on the ice water. Everything was cold and tasty!

 

Can you really store enough food? »
There is probably not a single person who knows how long the food supply would actually last following a complete collapse. I know one thing for sure; it will not be long enough. More »

 

8 Gardening Hacks That Can Double, Triple & Even Quadruple Crop Yield

 

How To Grow Fruit Trees In Containers

 

7 Ways To Use Amazing Baking Soda In The Garden

 

How To Get Superpowered Garden Soil

 

66 Surprising Things You Can Grow In Containers

 

Yours for better living,

Bruce 'the Poor Man' 

 

Books, Art, Video – the saucy, the odd, the retro, even the practical…

 

http://RetroGuy.net

 

 

A Shallow Planet Production

DIY Laundry to Landscape Greywater System, Vodka Hacks & More

 

Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

www.poormansurvivor.net

 

ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

 "Of all the so-called natural human rights that have ever been invented,
liberty is least likely to be cheap and is never free of cost."
-- Robert A. Heinlein

 

 

Laundry to Landscape Greywater System

This design and much of the information contained within are borrowed from Art Ludwig's website: OasisDesign.net. That website has more in-depth information and alternative designs for different systems. I highly recommend that you visit that site and donate via their tip jar so that they can keep designing! Oasis also sells a book and DVD. I'm happy to take down this instructable if they have a problem with it.

Help me make this instructable better by commenting!

What is greywater?

Greywater is wastewater, excluding human waste, from your home that you can reuse, in this case to irrigate landscape. Greywater is wonderful for many reasons, including:

* Reduced freshwater use

* Reduced chemical and energy use from conventional wastewater treatment

* Effective treatment in soil

* Groundwater recharge

* Reclamation of otherwise wasted plant nutrients

A greywater laundry system is an easy and affordable way to implement this technology in your own home. According to the EPA, 21% of the average american home's indoor water use is with a clothes washing machine, so it's a significant amount of the water.

Greywater has been legal in California since 2009. Laundry systems that follow certain requirements of the plumbing code don't require a permit, but your municipality may have additional restrictions.

Before implementing greywater, consider doing easier and cheaper water conservation measures: fixing leaks, installing low flow fixtures, changing habits, etc.

Step 1: Site Analysis and System Design

Spend some time looking at your site and determining what plants you want to irrigate. Matching your greywater system to existing irrigation zones means you'll be able to dial back that area's irrigation or turn it off completely to realize water savings.

The washer pump can handle moving water any reasonable distance downhill, or up to 2' below the top of the washer 100' away. Perennial plants like fruit trees have more established root systems and are more able to find the water easily. Non-root vegetables can be irrigated with greywater if the emitter is close enough to the plant. They usually will need supplemental irrigation during establishment.

Having your washing machine in a room with an exterior wall is ideal.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Laundry-to-Landscape-Greywater-System/

Don't Get Caught Doing
These Things in Your Yard
Whoa! I'm not talking about planting skunkweed or doing a nude rain dance in your yard! I'm talking about those budget busting habits that can drain your wallet faster than a nest of termites can chew through a woodpile. Here are 10 things you definitely don't want to get caught doing in your yard this summer.

 

 

 

10 Ways to Get a Discount With Your Online Shopping

http://www.moneytalksnews.com/10-ways-get-discount-every-online-purchase/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=email-2015-05-11-am&utm_medium=email

 

13 Vodka Hacks That Will Make Your Life So Much Better (And None Involve Drinking!)

https://www.yahoo.com/makers/13-vodka-hacks-that-will-c1431381845728.html

 

Our Weekly Roundup of Goodies to Use & Share

2015 Consumer Action Handbook Now Available

The "bible" of every consumer office in the country is the Consumer Action Handbook because it is a comprehensive consumer directory. It lists both corporate and government consumer offices countrywide, and it provides helpful tips to solve various types of consumer complaints. The 2015 edition is hot off the press (and is free).

12 Ways to Keep Your Money Safer Online

DIY Solar Generator Plans – Free

www.IndependentLivingNews.com/landing/pw

 

Recycle Egg Cartons into Firestarters

http://www.instructables.com/id/Recycle-egg-cartons-into-fire-starter/

 

Cheap dates and family activities
read more here               

Reducing the cost of pet care
read more here

 

• Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase Agree to Erase Debts From Credit Reports After Bankruptcies (The New York Times): "Two of the nation’s biggest banks will finally put to rest the zombies of consumer debt — bills that are still alive on credit reports although legally eliminated in bankruptcy — potentially providing relief to more than a million Americans."

• Everything you need to know before consolidating your student loans (USA Today): "Consolidation isn’t the best choice for everyone, especially since it can’t be undone. We’re here to make sense of student loan consolidation so you can decide whether it’s right for you."

 

Yours for better living,

Bruce ‘the Poor Man’

 

NOTE:  You can “tip” the Poor Man for his years of providing noteworthy resources by making a donation at the top of this page using the PayPal tab!

 

Books, Art, Video – the saucy, the odd, the retro, even the practical…

 

http://RetroGuy.net

 

 

 

A Shallow Planet Production

Video: Yard Sale Tips, Beating RFID Chips, Keep Food Safe in a Power Outage

 

 

 

 

Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

www.poormansurvivor.net

 

ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

 

"The most unresolved problem of the day is precisely
the problem that concerned the founders of this nation:
how to limit the scope and power of government.
Tyranny, restrictions on human freedom,
come primarily from governmental restrictions
that we ourselves have set up."
-- Milton Friedman

 

 

THE USA - LAND OF THE FREE

Taking control of your own life is the most fundamental freedom you truly have.

The is a heartbreaking story of  a man who spent more than a decade running L&M Convenience Mart, a gas station, restaurant, and convenience store in rural Fairmont, North Carolina. Then, one year ago, without any warning, agents from the IRS seized his entire bank account, which was his entire life savings, totaling more than $107,000.

The reason?  They said he had been depositing money in small amounts (as a convenience store just might do) under the amount that would trigger a reporting requirement for the last decade.

That's all they needed.  No charges, no arrest.  They just deemed that he had been depositing small amounts of money into the bank for years and that was reason enough to impoverish him.

The US government has stolen billions from Americans in just this way. 

RFID Chips
The Government’s Preferred Hidden Tracking Device

A pocket like that may have many other practical uses today than just protecting you from warrantless cell phone tracking.

Radio Frequency ID (RFID) chips are used primarily in commerce to track inventory. Applied in this respect, this technology is actually very efficient. According to the RFID Journal (an industry trade magazine) “Radio frequency identification is the next wave in the evolution of computing. Essentially, it’s a technology that connects objects to the Internet, so they can be tracked.”

The problem: RFID technology is popping up on the items we carry on our own physical bodies. These items are all being impregnated with privacy-sabotaging Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tracking chips.

• Passports
• Driver’s licenses
• Credit cards
• Sadly, even your child’s school ID

RFID chips send out radio signals that contain all the pertinent information on the credit card, driver's license, or passport, etc. The “readers” for these chips are essentially antennas that are tuned in to read their radio signals.

Unfortunately, this also makes theft fast and easy. Demonstrations by security experts have shown how a pickpocket can hide a touch less credit-card reader (bought cheaply online and connected to a small net book computer or smart phone) inside a handheld organizer, and easily “steal” private information - right through a victim’s purse or pants pocket!

RFID chips can be read between 30 to 300 feet away (even from inside a moving car in some cases), depending on the kind of chip.

• In some instances, information on an RFID chip can be changed by the reader itself. In one study, researchers rigged RFID readers to write over and change information stored on an RFID chip. This experiment proved that someone with bad intentions could conceivably corrupt the information on your driver’s license or passport - and that could cause you untold grief with the authorities if you’re trying to cross the border and your passport has been compromised, for example.
• Regarding RFID-equipped passports, each country’s passport sends out its own unique radio signal. This could pose an additional security threat while you’re traveling if you happen to carry a non-politically correct passport – even if it’s safely stored in your luggage or jacket pocket.

 

What Can You Do About It?

One individual demonstrated how he destroyed the RFID chip in his new credit card by hammering a small nail through it. He reasoned the magnetic strip still worked, and he didn’t need or want his credit card broadcasting his information. (You could go this route, but it’s probably not advisable with your government-issued RFID documents, because it could come with a penalty.)

Your other options are to wrap the document in a metal, like aluminum foil, or buy a protective sleeve or stylish wallet designed to block the radio signals from the RFID chip. In fact, the State Department actually recommends doing this with your passport.

In theory, you may be able to achieve the same result with a simple object that’s already in the glove boxes of millions of motorists who use EZ-Pass or other transponder-based automatic highway toll collection devices. Users typically receive a metallic no-transmit pouch to store their transponder in should they wish to shield their device at toll booths (for example, if there’s no money in their pre-paid toll account). I haven’t tested it, but in theory this same pouch should be able to effectively shield your phone, too.

Read more: http://www.independentlivingnews.com/privacy/intrusion-update/how-to-hide-from-rfid-chips-cell-tower-tracking-and-wi-fi-snoops.stml?utm_source=150506ILNDBPL1&keycode=150506ILNDBPL1&u=bad84e30-ddc7-11e2-88f9-80ee731fd7a1#.VUqu_5NuLTo#ixzz3ZPJnDHXr

 Our Weekly Roundup of Goodies to Use & Share

Since we’re hosting our annual community garage sale today, I thought this post appropriate…

 

Video: Yard Sale Shopping Tips
A great yard sale is a bargain bonanza, an auction and a treasure hunt all rolled into one. This week, The Ultimate Cheapskate teaches us how to be a pro yard sale shopper and get the very best deals for the biggest savings!

7 Unexpected Ways to Use Epsom Salts       

 

How to remove pet urine smells
read more here

 

8 Apps for Cleaning Out Your Closet and Making Money

Get rid of old clothes, get paid, and maybe get a whole new wardrobe in the process. We show you how. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2483574,00.asp?mailing_id=1243443&mailing=whatsnewnow&mailingID=77EA2FFFDDA75684B6F0D7AAFE84DF57

 

How to Keep Foods Safe During a Power Outage

Use these steps to keep refrigerated and frozen foods safe during a power outage:

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/freezingfoods/ht/How-To-Keep-Foods-Safe-During-A-Power-Outage.htm?utm_source=exp_nl&utm_medium=email&utm_term=list_frugalliving&utm_campaign=list_frugalliving&utm_content=20150506

   Finally, I want to let you know about the Noah Foundation…it works hard to press legislatures and utilities to avert EMP disasters by hardening the grid BEFORE disaster strikes.  Learn more about their work at:

The NoahFoundations.com

 

Yours for better living,

Bruce ‘the Poor Man’

 

Books, Art, Video – the saucy, the odd, the retro, even the practical…

 

http://RetroGuy.net

 

 

A Shallow Planet Production

Delete Everything Google Knows About You & Lower Your Bills and More!

 

 

Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

www.poormansurvivor.net

 

ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

"Our job this day is to become part of the answer
to the world's immense and protracted suffering
rather than continuing our ancient task
of being part of the difficulty."
-- Hugh Prather
(1938-2010) Author, minister, and counselor

 

 

How to Delete Everything That Google Knows About You

 

Are you worried about your privacy?  Does the fact that Google collects information about you give you the creeps.  While many members of the global community are angry about how much information the major online and computer companies collect on you, what if there was a way to combat and stop it.  Even if it was a small part of it?

Well, Yahoo! News has the step by step instructions for “How to Download and Delete What Google Search Knows About You”:

The feature, which was spotted by the unofficial Google Operating System Blog — though VentureBeat points out that the function was made available in January — gives you access to everything from what you searched for to the links you clicked on from those searches. It also shows you the addresses you’ve searched for.

I was even able to see the list of images I clicked on while searching for pictures of cats eating spaghetti. Now imagine what you’ve looked for. Oh, and clearing your browser history won’t delete this data.

But there’s no reason to panic, because in addition to being able to download your search history, you can clear it.

First, here’s how to download your history:

- See more at: http://yournewswire.com/how-to-delete-everything-that-google-knows-about-you/#sthash.kd51Y23O.dpuf

SIDEBAR: 

 

As 3 Ways to Erase Private Information from the Internet

Most search engine marketers want to know absolutely everything about people who spend time online. The juicier the demographics data, the more targeted we can be with our marketing approaches. To us, revelation is wonderful.

But, just because they want to know everything about everyone else doesn’t mean we want all of our own data out there. And, there are times when letting it all hang out can be a little dangerous. For example, data collection sites can aggregate all sorts of personal information about you or your clients, including:

• Dates of birth
• Addresses
• Cell phone numbers
• Land line numbers
• Email addresses

That’s the sort of data people could use to steal your identity..more ways to stop the snooping [WARNING:  May not work to prevent NSA and other government snoops]:

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/3-ways-erase-private-information-internet/130644/

 

 

Practical Pointers to Improve Your Life

 

Make Your Urban Yard The Envy Of All Creatures With These 5 Edible Hedges

Many urban dwellers wish to utilize every inch of their yards to the fullest extent possible. You may wish to grow food, have space for recreation, room for pets or kids to play, and perhaps some plants for privacy. Hedges and living fences help define spaces, mark your property line, or block unsightly views. Using edible hedges can help combine uses, providing tasty treats and enhancing beauty, particularly when space is tight.

Before selecting edible hedges, decide on their function. There are numerous edible options that can serve a variety of purposes.

http://www.earth911.com/home-garden/make-your-urban-yard-the-envy-of-all-creatures-with-these-5-edible-hedges/

 

 

A beginner's guide to foraging
read more here

 

You can negotiate lower bills with your utility company and others…Learn about the wonderful Billcutterz site where they do the negotiating for you and split the savings with you.

This Handcuff Hack Could Save Your Life in an Emergency

 

 

Books, Art, Video – the saucy, the odd, the retro, even the practical

 

 

http://RetroGuy.net

 

Tammy Frost…Practical Help with Your Web Site Needs!
Website Designer/Developer
Helpwithyourwebsite.com

 

 

A Shallow Planet Production

The Food We Eat is Safe-Just Another Government Lie?

 

 

Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

www.poormansurvivor.net

 

ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resource

 

We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.
- Calvin Coolidge

 

 

 

One of the Biggest Government Lies: “The Food We Eat is Safe”

The FDA didn’t perform any kind of testing in regards to rBST. FDA official John Scheid admitted to the Associated Press that the agency based their approval simply on a summary provided by Monsanto.

Former FDA veterinarian Richard Burroughs, who was a lead reviewer in this hormone’s approval process, said the drug “was approved prematurely without adequate information”… and that “the whole rBST thing was bad science and bad regulation.”

The European Union even investigated the FDA’s faulty approval process and concluded that the hormone’s safety had never been proved.

Canadian scientists also analyzed the FDA’s approval process and wrote a lengthy and scathing report. If you google “Gaps Analysis Report”, you can read it online.

Unless it’s labeled organic or “rBST free”, everything in the dairy section of your grocery store, including yogurt and cheese, probably includes milk from cows injected with this hormone.

Unfortunately, milk is just the tip of the iceberg.

With the help of the FDA, GMOs have spread throughout our food supply. It’s virtually everywhere.

Why would the FDA put Americans at risk?

Well, it turns out the Deputy Commissioner for Policy at the FDA in 1993 had strong links to Monsanto. He had worked for the company, before joining the FDA.

In fact, after helping secure the approval of rBST, he went back to Monsanto to work as its Vice President for public policy.

Today, he’s once again at the FDA, working closely with the Obama administration on food safety.

Well, once you understand the strong link between government and big corporations that produce GM food, the answer is not exactly a surprise.

But that doesn’t make it any less disturbing.

Big corporations, lobbyists and politicians will do anything to keep you in the dark. Why? Because there’s big money involved. That’s the cold truth of our food supply.

If word gets out that genetically modified foods are potentially dangerous, the food companies’ billions of dollars in profits will be in SERIOUS jeopardy.

The genetically modified crop market is huge. In the last decade alone, Monsanto, which controls 90% of the market, has made more than $116 billion in sales.

And they use a lot of that money to make sure nobody will interfere with their business.

For example, in recent years they have spent over $52 million in lobbying to make sure they get the most favorable legislation possible.

And that has paid off… as the New York Times said, “the White House worked behind the scenes to help Monsanto get the regulations that it wanted.

For years, polls have shown that about 93% of Americans support the labeling of foods that contain genetically modified organisms.

But the biotech industry, with the help of the FDA, has decided that we don't need to know when there are potentially harmful ingredients in our food. So, GM foods are not required to carry identifying labels.

We are being denied the fundamental right to know what's in our food - a right that more than 50 other nations, including China and Russia, offer their citizens.

It’s estimated that 70% of processed foods contains genetically modified organisms. But because of the lack of labels, Americans have no clue.

 

Additional goodies you’ll find useful…

 

InstantWatcher.com: I found this site through a Consumer Reports newsletter I receive each month. The site helps you find titles to stream from either Netflix or Amazon. It can also be a great tool when you are trying decide which service is best for you and your family.

 

• Most 20-Somethings Can’t Answer These 3 Financial Questions. Can You? (Time): "A new study finds that young Americans could use some help when it comes to managing their money.  A new San Diego State University study of young Americans has found that they are lacking when it comes to financial knowledge and behavior.."

• 7 Personal Finance Basics for New Grads (NY Times): "Share these tips with your children to help them get off to a good start on their own."
• ‘Free’ apps may not be so free after all: (USC News): "There’s no such thing as free — especially with smartphone apps, according to a new study."

Small Gardens

I don't have space for a big garden. I just use a small portion of my patio. Last year, my garden supply center had a great deal on broken bags of potting soil, so I bought six of them. I set them out on my patio and cut a few slits in the bottom and a hole in the top. I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers in the bags. I watered them just like I would normally and had a mini-veggie garden!

 

Video: Barter Smarter
When cash is scarce, more and more folks are going back in time to the barter system, trading goods and services for the things they need. This week, The Ultimate Cheapskate gives us his best bartering tips and tricks!

 

17 Clever Food Storage Tricks

If you’re like most of us, building your food storage out can be a daunting proposition. Not only can it be costly, but it also requires figuring out what kind of food to store, when it needs to be rotated, how much to buy per person, and more.

One of the biggest hang-ups of them all though, is WHERE to keep your food storage. Many of us live in smaller footprints as it is, without trying to cram in several months’ worth of food somewhere (or we just have so much junk it’s practically spilling out of our houses!).

Even so, with a little creativity, there are likely some additional places you can store food in your home, no matter what your living situation is.   Click here to find out what they are.        

 

Take a peek at Cam Mather’s ‘Sensible Prepper’ site – he got started about the same time I did in the late 1990s in terms of becoming more self reliant…You’ll find plenty of useful resources.  http://www.cammather.com/books-dvds/sensible-prepper

FINALLY, according to John Williams of shadowstats.com, if honest numbers were used they would show that U.S. GDP growth has been continuously negative since 2005. There are many of us, myself included, who do not trust government numbers for employment or other economic numbers…which ultimately could mean another economic downturn is headed our way.

Stay alert my friends!

The Poor Man is donating 50% of the net profits from all its online sales to the disaster relief program in Nepal…I thank you for your support!

 

http://RetroGuy.net